Tarn printing machine



Oct. 17, 1933. H. F. SHAFF'NER YARN PRINTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 12, 1930 4 Shgets-Sheet 2 oovno INVENTOR A. f 6/604 Ff/Vfi? Y 6416M G A TTORNEYO Oct. 17, 1933.

H. F. SHAFFNER YARN PRINTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 12 1930 4 SheetsSheet 3 INVENTOR FS/VA/f/Vi A ORNEYQ 1933- H. F. SHAFFNER YARN PRINTING MACHINE Filed Dec. 12, 1930 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Patented Oct. 17, 1933 A ES A Nr OFFICE YARN rmmesmcnm Henry F. Shafiner, Winston-Salem, N. Cl, as y V signor to Briggs-Shafiner Company, Winston- I l 7 Salem, N. 0., a corporation of North Carolina inseam December 12, 1930 7 Serial No. 501,933 I "3 Claims. (Cl. 101 172) This invention relates to new and useful im-'- provements in yarn printing machines.

Among the several objects of the invention are to provide a machine for printing ordyeing warp yarn with a plurality of colors; to provide means for successively printing the yarn with different colors while the yarn is being fed through the machine; to provide the machine with a plurality of printing couple s including printing rolls having interchangeable printing plates whereby variations in the lengths of the printed portions of the yarn may be obtained; to provide means for supporting the printing rolls in operative relation to the dye rolls and to include constructions whereby said printing rolls may be readily moved away from theiroperative positions for the purpose of loading the machineor for obtaining ac cess to the dyerolls; to provide the printing couples with dye transfer rolls and means for supporting the same whereby they may be either moved into operative engagement with the dye rolls and retained in said engagement or moved away from the dye rolls for the purpose of in-. specting the latter; to provide geardriving con "ne'ctions'between all of the rolls of all the coupl'es 'for positively rotating said rolls; to provide a front feeding couple for the yarn" and to drivethe same by gearing in timed relation with the printing couples; to provide separate dye pans for the respective dye transfer rolls; to provide a"stcam'box commonto all of the dye pans for maihtainingihe dye in proper liquid condition,

and to provide a vertically adjustable table for supporting the steam box and dye pans whereby itliellatter may be moved into and outof cooperative relation with the dye transfer rolls.

With these and othergobj'ects in View which i will more fully appear, the nature of the inventionwill be more clearly understood .by follow- 40,

several views illustrated in the accompanying drawings. 1 a a In the drawings: Figure 1 is a front elevation of a printing machine constructed in accordance with my invention Figure 2 is atop plan view thereof, 9 s Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view thereof, v v Figure 4 is a transversesectional view taken on the. line ir-4 of Figure 3, 1

,1 Figurej is a fragmentary elevation of the rear sideofthemachine H r V l r Figure 6 is a detail perspective view of thev roll dius i sm a-nss Y ingthe description, the appended claims, and the w ofthe printing roll, and

Figures) isa'cross sectional view, of the print 1; 7

ing roll. l

Referring to the accompanying drawings, my invention comprises'a main frame A having front and rearskeleton plates orv walls 5, 5 which 'arerigidly connected together by suitable-transverse'65., braces, each wall being providedwith an opening 6. Supported on the main frame at the left hand end thereof isa feeding couple B, andsupport'ed onthe main frameat the right" hand end thereof is a guide reel C.- Supported on said mainframe s and disposed between the feeding couple B and the guidereel C is aplurality'of' printing couples D, D,'D, D. The'feeding couple B includes an upper feed roll '7 and a lower feed roll 8, and each printing couple D includes an upper or printing 7 in bearings 12 secured to the upperedges of the 1 side walls or plates 5, 5 of the main frame A, and

fixed to the frontend of each shaft is a drive gear 13. Interinediatethe drive gears l3 and in constant mesh therewith are idle gears lfi'WhiCh are 7 journaled on a plate '15 secured to the front plate 901 or wall 5 of the main frame by bolts 16, 1c. These gears-[13 and 14 are rotated fro'ma drive shaft 17 journaled on the right hand end of the main frame by means of a drive gear 18 fixed to the shaft and meshing withjthe adjacent dyeroll gear'13. I

The upper feed roll 7 and the upper or; prints 7 ing rolls 9" are independently mounted on the mainframe A by similar means whereby said rolls may be separatelymoved toward and from the 1001 cooperating rolls whenever it is desirable to load the machine-or to inspect any or all ofthe'lower rolls and whereby the upper rolls will be retained in cooperative relation with the lower rolls. Each of thesesupporting means includes a frame 19 consisting ofspaced parallelfront and rear arms 19 19 which are flxedly connected to a horl- 1 j zontal. pivot rod 20 which extends transversely V of the main framea'nd. is journaled in posts 21,21 attached to the upper-portionsof the sideplates or walls 5, of the main frame. The roll is fixed to a shaft 22 which is jourrialed in the arms 19., 19 and the pivot rod 20 or axis of the supporting frame is disposed at one side of the roll 5 and parallels the shaft 22 of the roll. The free ends of the arms 19% 19 are respectively provided with forwardly and rearwardly extending forked arms 23, 23 which are located on the opposite side of the roll from the pivot rod 20. Associated with each roll supporting frame are arms 24, 24 which are normally disposed vertically, and are fulcrumed at their lower ends to pivot pins 25, 25 mounted on the lower portions of the posts 21. These pivot pins 25 are located on that side of the roll opposite the fulcrum ,of the roll sup porting frame and their axes are parallel with said fulcrum in order to permit the arms to be 1 swung forwardly and rearwardly in a vertical plane parallel with the axis of said supporting 20 frame. The upper end of each arm 24 is threaded and projects upwardly between the forked arms 23, 23 of the adjacent arm 19 of they roll supporting frame. A collar 26 is'disposed around the arm 24. for slidable movements therealong below "the forked arms 23, 23, and a coil spring 27 is disposed around the arm 24 below the collar to yieldingly support the latter and consequently the roll againstv downward movement. A sleeve 28 is threaded on the arm 24 above'the forked arms 23, 23 and a lock nut 29 is threaded on the arm 24 above the sleeve 28. The innerfaces of the forked arms,23, 23, the collar 26, and the sleeve 28 are,

formed with convex engaging surfaces whereby the roll supporting frame may be readily swung 351 Sabove its axis without any binding action, upon;

adjustments of the lock nut 29 and the sleeve'28. Fixed to the front ends of the shafts22 of the upper rolls are gears 30 which mesh with the drive gears 13 of the lower rolls when the upper rolls 401' {are in operative positions. When any one of the.-

upper rolls is swung upwardly, the gear couple 22, 13 is broken as will be understood.

Each ofthe dye rolls 10 is provided with, a,

peripheral layer 31 of felt or other soft material which is saturated with'dye. V

The printing rolls 9 are normally spaced above the dye rolls 10, and each printing roll is provided adjacent each end with a circumferential series of equally spaced tapped'openings 32. One 50.3ormore segmental plates 33 are positioned against the periphery of the roll, and each plate is provided adjacent each end with a series of equally spaced openings 34 which register with certainof the openings 32. Screws 35 are em- 5 5 13ployed in said registering openings for fastening arranged in surface contact with the layers 31' of said rolls, are dye transfer rolls 36. 1 Each of these transfer rolls 36 is 'journaled on a. support- 10'Ting frame 37 which is similar to the supporting frame 19,- and a vertically disposed arm 38, similar to the arms'24,.is'associated with each frame 37 so as to permit the transfer roll to be moved upwardly or downwardly and into or out of contact with the associated dyeroll 10.

.erative relation with the dye rolls, and a steam Supported on the main frame A for vertical adjustments between the side plates or walls 5, 5 thereof, is a horizontal table 39. Supported on this table is an elongated open topped steam box 40 and mounted in said box is a plurality of separate dye pans 41 arranged in a series directly under the respective transfer rolls 36. The table may be raised by manual means and retained inits adjusted position so as to dispose the dye pans in cooperative relation with the transfer rolls whereby the latter will pick up dyes and transfer the same onto the dye rolls 10. Steam is admitted to the steam box 40 through the medium of a flexible pipe 42 which permits the steam box to be raised and lowered while maintaining operative connection with said steam pipe. Each transfer roll 36 is provided with a" gear 43 which is in constant mesh with a gear 44 fixed to the dye roll 10. Thus when any one or all of the transfer rolls 36 are lowered the gear driving connections between the dye rolls 10 and the transfer rolls 36 become broken. Whenever, it is desired to inspect or repair the dye rolls 10, the transfer rolls may be lowered so as to give the operator access to the dye rolls. Before the dye rolls are lowered, however, it is necessary to lower the table so as to lower the dye pans a distance sufficient to permit the trans- V fer rolls to be lowered the necessary distance. A

In order to raise or lowerthe table, I haveprovided the main frame A with two pairs of verti- V cally disposed racks 45. Journaled in suitable bearings fixed to the under sideof the table and at each end of the table is a transverse shaft 46 having pinions 47, 47 fixed thereon. These pinions are in constant mesh with the associated I pair of vertical racks 45. Also fixed on each shaft.

46 is a worm gear 48. An operating shaft 49 extends longitudinally of the table andis journaled in suitable bearings mounted on the under. side thereof. Fixed to the operating shaft 49 is a. pair of worms 50, 50 which respectively engage the worm gears 48, 48. Thus upon rotation of the operating shaft 49 motion will be transmitted to the pinions 47, 47 and by reason of 7 these pinions being in constant mesh with the vertical racks, the table will be raised or lowered as will be readily understood.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that I have provided a yarn printing machine whereby theyarn may be printed or dyed with a plurality of-colors; that the lengths of the coloring on the yarn may be readily varied; that the printing rolls are mounted for independent adjustment relative to the associated dye rolls; that the print ing rolls as well as the transfer rolls are independently movable toward and from the dye rolls so as to permit the machine to be readily loaded with yarn and also to permit ready inspection of the dye rolls, and that the steam box is common to all of the dye pans whereby the dyein the several pans is maintained at uniformtemperatures. a

I claim:

1. In a yarn printing machine, the combination with a plurality of printing couples, each including an upper printing roll and a lower dye roll, separate dye pans respectively located in coopbox common to all of said pans.

1 2. In a yarn printing machine, the combina tion with a'pluralityof printing couples; each including an upper printing roll and a lower dye roll, a vertically movable table disposed below said couples, separate dye pans mounted onsaid table for cooperation with the respective dye rolls, a steam box mounted on the table and common to all of said'pans, and means for raising and lowly contact the absorbent peripheral layer of the dye roll and press the yarn into said layer, the

outer surface of the. plate beingconcentric to the axis of the printing roll and-extending for not less than 60 degrees around the peripheryof the roll, the plates being disposed on their re-' spective rollsat different radial relations, means for supplying printing fluid to the absorbent periphery of said dye roll, and means for rotating said printing rolls in unison.

HENRY F. SHAFFNER. 

